Thanks in advance to netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy.

After reading the first book, I was excited to read The Dragon’s Promise.
However the first one was pretty slow paced and Dragon’s Promise is even slower paced, which was not for me.
I also did not care much about her dragon friend and what happens with the pearl.
That’s why I didn’t finish the book.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Six Crimson Cranes but hoped that The Dragon’s Promise would improve my opinion of the series and author. Sadly it did not. All the charm the characters developed in the first book evaporated. The pacing was awful and everything felt rushed and disjointed. The one redeeming thing about this book is the beautiful cover.

After loving Six Crimson Cranes, The Dragon's Promise was one of my most anticipated releases for 2022 and it was such a disappointment.
It was so boring and I found the storyline incredibly repetitive. I was so confused at the start as the story seemed abstract and completely brand new compared to the overarching storyline. The whole thing felt unnecessary and, if I'm being brutally honest here, Six Crimson Cranes would've been better off as a standalone.
I really wanted to love The Dragon's Promise yet I sadly found it to be painfully meh.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Wirklich schöner zweiter Teil dieseer Dilogie! Die Welt von Shiori und ihren Brüdern ist mit viel Liebe erschaffen worden und die Geschichten und Abenteuer ziehen den Leser geradzu in diese hinein. Allerdings hat mich der erste Teil doch mehr begeistert.

Loved this book. Thank you so much for the advanced copy. The main story was really well paced and kept me hooked, I could not put it down!

Elizabeth Lim never disappoints me with her amazing writing, memorable storytelling, and dynamic characters and this was no different. Besides from it being a truly breathtaking tale that stays with you long after you have finished, but it lives up to the first book perfectly. Her work is truly getting better and better, I cannot wait to see what she has in store next.

Thank you Netgalley for an e-arc of this book. I really wanted to read this after loving Six Crimson Cranes.

The book starts exactly where the 1st volume finishes and I was super happy to back in this world. You get to find out more about the magical beeings and the magical powers they have in this volume and I really loved it.

There ia great character development for our main protagonist, but I really wanted to see more of her brothers.

The book is almost split into 2 stories in a way: Shiori interacting with the dragons and Shiori interacting with the demons. There was a little connection between the 2 parts, but not much and that disappointed me a little. I wanted to see the dragons have more impact in the demons part to be honest, I hoped for it.

Still a wonderful conclusion to the duology and I really liked the ending. I highly recommend this duology!

I absolutely loved this book! The premise immediately hooked my interest and it was filled with twisty characters and such intense plot!

First of all, I would like to say thank you for the review copy, which was provided to me by the publisher. This fact does not in any way affect my personal opinion of this book. This post contains advertising and the rights for the book belong to the publisher.
Of course, is this only my personal opinion on the book and just because I give this rating to the book doesn’t mean, that everyone will have that opinion.

Of course, is this only my personal opinion on the book and just because I give this rating to the book doesn’t mean, that everyone will have that opinion.

I read until 20%, but then I decided not to finish this book. In my opinion, Six Crimson Cranes should have been a standalone. I had the same feeling when reading „The Blood of Stars“ Duology a few years ago.
I was really thrown into the story, and I expected a little bit of a gentler start for a second book. During the 100 pages, that I’ve read, sooooo much happened, and I was not confused, but I felt a bit of anger. The love triangle, which I expected a bit during Six Crimson Cranes, was just meeh. The characters had no real depth for me, and to be honest: I wasn’t rooting for any of them. Seryu gave me huge „best male friend whos secretly in love with you vibes“, and I don’t talk about the good kind.
Shiori also got a bit on my nerves. Sometimes I hoped she would be more reasonable and not so righteous.
Overall, I was just disappointed, and it felt like the author was a bit pressured to write a second book.
But keep in mind: I’ve only read 20%! Maybe it does get better after it.

Conclusion
Six Crimson Cranes should have been a standalone.

My rating is: No rating, because I did not finish it

This is the sequel to Six Crimson Cranes which I loved so I was excited to read this hoping to see more of the characters and story that I loved in the first book. While this book was enjoyable, I didn't love it as much as I loved the first book. In book 1 we get a lot of build up to Seryu and his realm and even the title suggested we would be spending a fair amount of time there but it was only the beginning of the book and it felt very rushed. I felt it was a bit of an unnecessary plot point considering the rest of the story.
When we do get back to above water and meet Takkan and the brothers again I enjoyed it a lot more. I love the relationship Shiori and Takkan have and that slow burn romance built from an unlikely friendship and I was so happy to see more of that in the sequel. I also loved seeing the brothers more and how the sibling relationship grew and changed because of everything they went through together.
The story itself was a fun read though the pacing was a little off, some parts felt rushed and others dragged but overal it was a good read and I am glad I got to see how the story ended.

Firstly, this cover, o m g. The covers that Elizabeth's books have had recently are so beautiful and on point.

I have always loved Elizabeth Lim’s books; they are impossible not to. In a world full of dragons, daemons, and an intriguing magic system, Elizabeth has a way with how she writes her book, and it's so beautifully done, from the world building to how she develops all the characters to how she weaves everything together to tell a fantastic story. I really enjoyed reading this book, and I cannot wait to see where it goes in book 3!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to have this e-ARC.

A satisfying conclusion for this duology. I loved "Six Crimson Cranes" and this one didn't miss. I will miss these characters and universe so much.

In "The Dragon's Promise" by Elizabeth Lim, readers are treated to an enthralling and magical adventure that will sweep them off their feet. With its captivating storytelling and rich Asian-inspired world, this book is a perfect read, especially during AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) month, showcasing the talent of the author and celebrating diverse narratives.

The story revolves around Princess Shiori, a strong-willed protagonist who made a deathbed promise to return the dragon's pearl to its rightful owner. Little does she know that keeping this promise will lead her on a dangerous journey filled with political intrigue, mythical creatures, and the constant threat of those who desire the pearl's power for themselves.

Elizabeth Lim's writing shines brightly in this novel. Her ability to blend fantasy and real-world elements, seamlessly infusing Asian cultural nuances and traditions, is nothing short of masterful. The world she creates is vivid and immersive, transporting readers to a realm where dragons soar and magic pulses through the pages.

Princess Shiori is a remarkable heroine, possessing both courage and vulnerability. Her determination to fulfill her promise while navigating the complex dynamics of both human and dragon societies is truly admirable. As she faces numerous challenges and uncovers shocking truths, readers will find themselves rooting for her at every turn.

Elizabeth Lim did it again. What a wonderful writer, story and plot. I loved the characters and it was a beautiful sequel to the first book

The Dragons promise is a slightly disappointing sequel and after loving the first one I was so excited to read this. Its not bad- just wasn't what I was expecting.
Many Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder and Stoughton for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review:
Plot- I prayed and prayed for no love triangle. What did i get? A love triangle. I'm sorry it just felt unnecessary! Right that's my main gripe over, the book felt like it would be better as a standalone in the same universe as opposed to a sequel. I don't quite know how to explain why, but it was really long and just didn't quite keep me as engaged as the first book.

The continued worldbuilding however was delightful and the pacing was just right. This lovely whimsical writing style is genuinely one of the main reasons I stuck with the book.

Characters- pretty much all exactly the same as the first book, honestly I felt like I didn't learn much about any of them? I just don't understand how in nearly 500 pages they don't seem to have changed from book 1?

Final Thoughts,
Slightly disappointing sequel after such a fantastic first book, but I will say it's still worth picking up if you enjoyed the first book

THE COVERS (BOTH EDITIONS) OF THIS SERIES ARE AMONG MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE COVERS I ADORE THESE WAY TOO MUCH BEST COVERS THEY LOOK SO GOOD OMG-

objectively, not as good as six crimson cranes but also: i loved this book so much <3 it was just so sweet and so fairy-tale like, like those in a book of fairytales (very descriptive, aarushi. you should really be a writer).

the only things i really have is that i LOVED the ending (it was very very out of the blue and felt much different than the rest of the story and i've definitely seen that trope before (in a very famous story, actually) but i liked it- i didn't expect it at all!)

and that i wish we spent more time in the dragon realm ☹️ the title of the story is literally "the dragon's promise" but we spent more time above land with the demons than we did with the dragons. i was really hoping that this would be an underwater-type adventure, but it was very different than what i expected.

in true elizabeth lim style, it feels like the plot never stops. it keeps going, plot twist after plot twist, and lim's writing is so magical and unique. this book actually reminded me of unravel the dusk (spin the dawn #2), and how i feel like lim doesn't write as great second books but also makes the second books have this INSANE plot that veers off completely from the original story- which is both a good and a bad thing.

six crimson cranes felt very complete and just a fluffy fairytale and besides the threads left hanging loose in the end, i felt like there wasn't really any need for a second book (i was happy i got to return to this world, though- it feels so fun).

I am disappointed..

Six Crimson Cranes was one of my favorite books so I dived into the sequel with high expectations. Unfortunately, The Dragon’s Promise failed to fulfill them. For most of the times, the plot feel dragged and my love for the characters were not enough to keep my attention engaged. Still, I love them and enjoyed the part where Shiori visited Seryu’s home.

DNF at 32%

Six Crimson Cranes was literally one of my best reads of last year, so needless to say, I was hyped for this book! The former ends with Shiori needing to go into the dragon realm and it's exactly that. The magic system was very great (as in the first book!) but I think what didn't really work was the pace of the plot. There wasn't much happening in the beginning, and also the inclusion of the love triangle trope made me drop the book. I hope that I can pick this up in the future and enjoy it, but now's clearly not the time

Thanks to the Publisher for sending me an e-ARC via Netgalley.

The pace of the book is quite moderate, yet the action is never still for the characters. As soon as one issue is remedied, a new one needs to be addressed right away. This may help to avoid tale lulls that would cause a reader to lose interest, but it also creates a fast-paced environment that makes reading tiresome. Even supposedly tranquil times, like when Shiori bakes cakes in Sundau, don't last for more than a few paragraphs before a fresh catastrophe strikes the group of people. Shiori isn't as impulsive today as she was at the beginning of the duology, so perhaps the reader should also be given a rest from time to time? I know this speed mirrors Shiori's own temperament.

This could have been a fantastic sequel if the focus of the first book had been the realm of dragons. It didn't feel necessary in the way it was written, and it made me question if Six Crimson Cranes would have been better off as a solo novel that was a few chapters longer to wrap up loose ends.

A great read to learn more about our MC, I enjoyed learning more about the dragon kingdom and seeing KiKi again!
Exploring Shioris relationship with her family and learning more about her step mothers past. All the way through I was thinking I'd love to read a book about her and then saw the news about the new book!
Shioris romance I love in this, it really moved me. Their connection and the threads that connect us through life.
I found this a bit more young adult, and know that is who it is directed too! Loved revisiting her brothers and the journeys they have been on to.
Highly recommend this read!